Btth: The Rise of Qingshan

Chapter 8: Purple Cloud Eagle Wings

Yan Qingshan slowly unfolded the scroll on the table. Two pitch-black, somewhat chilling eagle wings appeared in his sight, vividly depicted on the scroll.

These eagle wings were entirely pitch-black, faintly revealing some purple cloud patterns. The wings were like black fine steel, bearing a special metallic texture. The eagle wings seemed alive. As a breeze swept across the scroll, the feathers of the eagle wings actually moved like real wings.

"Purple Cloud Black Fire Eagle, fifth-rank flying type magical beast, rumored to possess a sparse bloodline of the ancient Phoenix. Its flight speed ranks among the top of all flying type magical beasts. It is naturally cunning and ferocious, extremely difficult to capture, and only lives in the misty mountain areas at the north of the continent."

A line of small characters on the scroll recorded the origin of the magical beast used in this Eagle Wings Dou Qi Skill. The fifth-rank magical beast was equivalent to a Dou King, and this was still the best among fifth-rank flying magical beasts. The difficulty of dealing with it was no less than a Dou Emperor, which also corroborated the strength of its creator.

"The Eagle King's soul..."

Yan Qingshan stroked the Eagle Wings scroll. His powerful perception allowed him to feel the hidden tyrannical soul within the scroll. This was the beast soul of the Purple Cloud Black Fire Eagle, equivalent to the existence of a weapon spirit, which was also the key to this flying Dou Qi Skill.

Yan Qingshan adjusted his mentality and operated the method of forging an unyielding lion heart recorded in the Lionheart King Technique. The cave owner's inheritance was a set, naturally considering the situation where the successor's cultivation was insufficient.

The owner of this stone chamber was from a very ancient era. In the cultivation technique inheritance he passed down, there were also many traces of ancient secret methods. Like the method of forging a lion heart, it seemed to involve spiritual cultivation.

The Mad Lion Roar was an even rarer Dou Qi Skill that combined Dou Qi and sound wave attacks, and there was this flying Dou Qi Skill scroll. The manufacturing method was extremely rare on the current continent.

Yan Qingshan adjusted his mentality and moved his palms onto the scroll. Shortly after his palms made contact, a sharp, soul-piercing screech seemed to sound.

His body involuntarily trembled, his whole body numb and unbearable. The sharp screech was like an electric drill, desperately impacting his brain.

Yan Qingshan calmed himself and guarded his mind. He was strong, let him be strong, the breeze swept the hills, I stood firm and unshaken. Using this soul screech to cultivate the method of forging a lion heart, silently enduring the repeated impacts.

Even if his face was pale and his head sweated coldly, he had no intention of giving up, but instead fell into a deep level of cultivation.

This soul confrontation finally ended with the defeat of the Purple Cloud Black Fire Eagle. After all, all that was left was the animal instinct. When all methods were useless, this sourceless water finally subsided.

The tyrannical screech retreated like a tide, but Yan Qingshan was still sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, immersed in deep comprehension.

The eagle wings on the black scroll suddenly shone brightly, purple and black, growing thicker and thicker, and finally turned into two small purple and black rays, darting into Yan Qingshan's body like lightning. The two small purple and black rays went up his back, pulling out two extremely small branches on his back.

The pain of forcibly opening the meridians made Yan Qingshan's expression fluctuate, but he did not struggle or vent. He was still cultivating the unyielding lion heart while sitting cross-legged, using this pain as his powerful nourishment.

An hour later, Yan Qingshan, who seemed to have been soaked in water, opened his eyes. When he held the bluestone table to get up, he almost fell to the ground, but the corners of his mouth were wide open, and his face was also filled with excitement.

"Two-star Dou Practitioner, as expected of a Xuan high-grade Cultivation Technique."

The Dou Disciple cultivation stage before Dou Practitioner, because the martial artist's physique was still weak, there were not many methods that could be used to improve. Most cultivators could improve one stage of Dou Disciple in a year, already being a genius.

After achieving Dou Practitioner, due to factors such as different cultivation techniques, resources, and environment, the cultivation speed of Dou Practitioner was much faster than the Dou Disciple stage. Dou Practitioner with good conditions, breaking through several stars within a year was not a problem.

Yan Qingshan was not like the protagonist in the original work who had a teacher to guide him and pill assistance, but the cultivation technique he was practicing now was a Xuan high-grade cultivation technique, five levels higher than the Huang low-grade Terminal Blaze Technique at the beginning.

Even if he could not achieve the highest efficiency because it was not fully compatible with his physique, the Lionheart King Technique, which was not limited by attributes, would not have a situation where the compatibility was too low.

The Xuan high-grade cultivation technique should be enough to offset factors such as pill resources. Looking at it comprehensively, Yan Qingshan's cultivation speed in the early stage should be a little faster than Xiao Yan's in the early stage, at least faster than before he first evolved his cultivation technique.

Yan Qingshan stood up with excitement, took a deep breath to calm his heart, and after tidying up his thoughts, he walked to the sitting skeleton and bowed again, and then carefully took the Heavenly Flame remnant map from the skeleton's arm bones.

"Ding... Discovered unrecorded knowledge, recording and analysis work begins... Creating folder... Resolution 0.0001%..."

When his palm touched the Heavenly Flame remnant map, a situation that made him feel bewildered occurred. His Dawn database actually started operating.

This Heavenly Flame remnant map was actually also a database that recorded knowledge, but compared to the intentionally inherited cultivation techniques and Dou Qi Skills of the poison scripture, which were easy to understand, the related data contained in this remnant map had to be analyzed.

"Could it be... there is an inheritance left by the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint in this remnant map?"

Such an idea popped into Yan Qingshan's mind. He understood the essence of this remnant map better than ordinary people. It was a backup left by the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint after being counterattacked by the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame in that year.

It contained the remnant soul of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint, which could erase the current consciousness of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.

Since this Heavenly Flame remnant map contained the remnant soul of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint, then naturally there was also some memory information of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint, which was the unknown knowledge discovered by the AI.

It was just that this knowledge was in the sleeping remnant soul of others, and would not actively appear for you to see.

This was also because the remnant soul of others had fallen asleep. Otherwise, peeking into other people's memories like Yan Qingshan did was definitely courting death, but the sleeping Purifying Demonic Lotus Saint remnant soul also gave Yan Qingshan an opportunity.

Dawn showed that analysis could be done, then it indicated that he might obtain the knowledge inside. This was definitely good news for him. After all, this was the remnant soul of a Half Step Dou Di. Even if it was just a little drizzle, it was a great opportunity for his little Dou Practitioner.

…

In the outer area of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a figure was tied with a rope on his body, flying staggeringly in the sky outside the cliff, the purple and black wings behind him were extremely strange, but his movements seemed very careful and awkward, like a novice.

This kind of action continued for a long time, until the sun hung high overhead and entered the hottest time at noon, this person untied the rope and started test flying quite flexibly, flying freely in the vast sky.

"The consumption of this flight is really not small. Even with my current three-star Dou Practitioner cultivation, I can only maintain the extreme speed for ten minutes. It is impossible to travel for a long time without Dou Master cultivation."

Yan Qingshan landed carefully. After slowly exhaling a turbid breath, he recovered a little Dou Qi. The Xuan high-grade cultivation technique had a rather amazing Qi recovery speed.

Just like now, Yan Qingshan, a three-star Dou Practitioner, had consumed most of his Dou Qi because of using the Purple Cloud Wings. In the course of walking and breathing, his Dou Qi had recovered seven or eight out of ten.

Comparing it with ordinary mercenaries who needed a lot of time to recover Qi after each battle in his memory.

He was too much stronger than them. No wonder everyone pursued higher-level cultivation techniques.

"Dawn, data analysis!"

Host: Yan Qingshan

Cultivation: Three-star Dou Practitioner

Cultivation Technique: Xuan High-Grade Lionheart King Technique

Dou Qi Skill: Xuan High-Grade Mad Lion Roar (Entry), Xuan Low-Grade Phoenix Flight Step (Entry)

Strength: 2.9

State: Healthy

Agility: 2.7

Mental Power: 17

(Data collection target: average value of one-star Dou Practitioner, the median value of each one-star Dou Practitioner is 1.0)

The Lionheart King Technique was indeed a Xuan high-grade cultivation technique.

Although he was only a three-star Dou Practitioner, his various data were comparable to a high-level Dou Practitioner. His explosive power even approached a nine-star Dou Practitioner. It should be known that even the comprehensive data of a nine-star Dou Practitioner was only around 3.0, and he was now close to this data.

"It's been almost a month since I entered the mountain. If I don't go back, Xiao Yi Xian will probably worry. And now I have barely enough self-protection, it's time to go back."

Yan Qingshan turned his head and looked towards the direction of Qingshan Town. He was a person with strong execution, and after making a plan, he immediately took action.

He came to the cliff and packed up the things he left behind from camping, and put them back on. He was still dressed as he was when he came, but the bag on his back was much fuller.

He didn't plan to put things into the storage ring, because he had to dress up to match his current identity. He had never worn this storage ring, and had always kept it close to his body, and had even decorated it with means, so that the appearance couldn't be seen at all.

The way back wasn't too difficult. Yan Qingshan, who had prepared early, walked very fast. Perhaps because of the considerable harvest, he seemed to have sublimated after the round trip, becoming more confident, and his steps were much lighter.

The treasure-hiding cliff was actually still on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, not too far from Qingshan Town.

Yan Qingshan, who was walking lightly, soon came to the edge of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. He was about to leave this dangerous place, and his mood was also good. He even had the mind to hum and chant.

"Hmm..."

Yan Qingshan frowned suddenly as he walked, turning his head to look in the direction behind his right back. Hurried footsteps came quickly, mixed with shouts. In the short time he turned around, the movement became more obvious, and even the forest in that direction could be vaguely seen as if there were fleeing people.

"These are... medicine collectors who entered the mountain in the snowy season... not good... these people are deliberate, bastards, they must have attracted some difficult guys..."

Yan Qingshan squinted and looked into the distance at the few figures who were running towards him and calling for help. He could vaguely see the roars of beasts coming from behind them.

These people seemed to have seen Yan Qingshan, and were running towards him frantically, shouting.

Yan Qingshan turned his head and ran without thinking. He had no relationship with these people and didn't need to stay.

Besides, after these people saw him, they deliberately shouted loudly and ran towards him intentionally, obviously trying to drag him down as a shield. He didn't have the mind to stay and help.

Yan Qingshan had never been a saintly person. He wouldn't get involved in things that were obviously going to cause trouble for himself.

Not to mention things like not saving someone in danger, he was just a small Dou Practitioner, and he really wasn't a powerful person on the Dou Qi Continent, and he didn't have the right to fight for justice.

Besides, he knew the virtues of these medicine collectors better than anyone else. To make a living in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, you'd better be careful, or you wouldn't even know how you died. This was the experience that the predecessors had exchanged with their lives.

Just like these people now, when they saw Yan Qingshan, they called for help and rushed towards him. This wasn't hoping for someone else's help, but dragging someone else down as a shield.

Those who really seek help from others wouldn't bring danger to others at all, but would instead change routes and deliberately create opportunities for others to help.

....................................

Chapter: 9

"Stop! Stop now..."

"Get back here, you bastard..."

"You damn survivor, who told you to run..."

…

Behind Yan Qingshan came a series of shouts and curses. These people, seeing Yan Qingshan, prepared to shift the blame onto him.

They changed directions and ran towards him, but did not expect Yan Qingshan to be so vigilant, running away from afar without stopping.

Now they had failed in their attempt to shift the blame, and their change of direction had affected their escape, bringing them one step closer to danger.

"Roar..."

Just as Yan Qingshan ran away, leaving those bastards far behind, a beast's roar suddenly exploded in the forest. The magical beast chasing the herbalists had finally appeared.

"That's... a Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast!!!"

Yan Qingshan somersaulted and landed on a high ground. Ahead was a small river, and beyond the river was a complex rocky canyon. It wouldn't be difficult to shake off the guys behind him.

But after he turned around, he stopped in his tracks.

A magical beast the size of a calf, its body was blue-purple and surrounded by lightning. It resembled a lion from his previous life.

The beast had a circle of light blue mane around its neck, standing on end like bristles.

Its strong and agile lion body had a disproportionate, blue-purple tail like a poisonous scorpion, now surrounded by lightning, killing the fleeing herbalists one by one.

The Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast was a rare rank 3 lightning-type magical beast in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Born with the ability to control lightning, it was a rank 1 magical beast in its infancy, a rank 2 magical beast in its growth period after a year, and a genuine rank 3 magical beast when it reached adulthood.

Lightning-type magical beasts were already top-notch fighters among their peers, and the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast was said to be a hybrid of the ancient Lightning Lion and the Scorpion Dragon, containing a trace of high-level magical beast bloodline.

An adult Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast dared to fight even a weaker rank 4 magical beast.

The Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast usually lived in the inner circle of the Magical Beast Mountain Range and rarely came to the outer circle. What hateful things had these herbalists done to be chased all the way here by this powerful magical beast?

"This seems to be a cub?"

Yan Qingshan carefully hid himself behind a rock, watching the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast chase the herbalists. This Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast, the size of a calf, was still in its infancy according to the size of its race, less than a year old.

But even as a cub, it had the strength of a peak rank 1 magical beast, and this kind of magical beast was a top-notch fighter among its peers, even more difficult to deal with than a rank 2 magical beast.

"Here, take it back, we shouldn't have taken it..."

After two unlucky guys were caught up and brutally killed, someone in the fleeing group broke down, turned around, knelt down, took out a fruit from his medicine pouch, and cried out for mercy to the magical beast.

"Lightning Tempering Fruit, no wonder..."

Yan Qingshan saw the thing in the man's hand and understood why these people were so miserable.

The Lightning Tempering Fruit was a symbiotic spiritual herb of the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast, or rather, a spiritual herb that their race specially planted, somewhat similar to the Amethyst Lion Birth Essence of the Amethyst Winged Lion.

It was very important for the cub Scorpion Lion. Only by consuming enough Lightning Tempering Fruits could the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast successfully enter its growth period after a year.

These people probably found a Lightning Tempering Fruit tree and picked it clean while the Scorpion Lion Beast was away, which was why they were being chased so relentlessly.

"Roar, roar..."

The Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast stopped in front of the begging guy, and the fleeing herbalists watched nervously, hoping for a turning point.

After being chased, these people had tried to escape separately, but the Magical Beast Mountain Range was too dangerous. When they came, they were all together and had already lost two people.

If they scattered and ran around in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, they would probably be quickly caught up and killed by the Scorpion Lion Beast.

They had finally reached the outer circle and were thinking of running a little further before scattering and escaping. Who knew they would find a strange kid?

The leader had bad intentions and ran towards him, but he didn't expect the kid to be so alert and not even look at them. Instead, their sudden change of direction slowed them down, and the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion caught up and started killing them again.

"Roar..."

The begging man failed to move the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast. Its lion mouth suddenly opened wide, biting off half of his arm holding the Lightning Tempering Fruit and chewing it a few times before swallowing it.

Before he could scream, the Scorpion Lion's scorpion tail suddenly whipped forward and hit his head, blasting it open. Then the Scorpion Lion roared again and continued the chase.

"Ah..."

"Everyone, run!!!"

"Scatter, scatter, scatter, we're in the outer circle now, it's every man for himself..."

The herbalists finally reacted and ran away in all directions, no longer staying together.

Yan Qingshan hid carefully behind the rocks, peeking at the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast chasing everywhere.

"The Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast, although not a wood-type, is not the best choice.

But... a young Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast is extremely rare, and... a rank 3 magical beast cub is definitely stronger than a Rank 1 magical beast."

Yan Qingshan's cultivation had entered the right track. The Xuan High-Level Lion Heart King Technique had barely reached the entry level.

Although this technique was not limited by attributes, it had some special requirements. To forge the lion heart and condense the lion form, the Lion Heart King Technique required lion-type magical beasts.

Yan Qingshan's cultivation speed was not slow, but he wanted to be faster. The Lion Heart King Technique also had a secret method to increase cultivation speed, called the Lion Heart Baptism.

After becoming a Dou Practitioner, the Lion Heart King Technique cultivator could perform it once every realm.

The Lion Heart Baptism used the heart blood of a lion-type magical beast to baptism the cultivator, which could not only improve the cultivator's cultivation but also strengthen the body and temper the physique. If lucky, it could even grant some special abilities.

After entering the Magical Beast Mountain Range for more than half a month, Yan Qingshan relied on original work and the opportunity in the cliff cave to become a Three-Star Dou Practitioner in less than a month.

But now he seemed to be facing some difficulties.

The bottleneck from Three-Star to Four-Star would not be too difficult for him to break through with his Xuan-rank cultivation technique. He could slowly cultivate and break through.

But he had a sense of urgency and didn't want to drag it on. Now that a suitable lion-type magical beast had appeared, he couldn't let the opportunity slip away. Moreover, he wanted to test the results of his hard cultivation.

"Although the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast is a top-notch fighter among its peers, there is still a chance of success. For a better Lion Heart Baptism, I can take a risk."

Yan Qingshan had originally planned to escape, but the appearance of the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast behind him changed his mind.

Lion-type magical beasts were rare in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. A rank 1 Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast with a high-level magical beast bloodline was simply a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If he missed it, he might never have another chance. Yan Qingshan was unwilling to retreat without trying.

"Dawn, gather information, deduce a battle plan..."

Yan Qingshan made up his mind and carefully observed the surroundings. He first needed to make sure that the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast was acting alone and whether there was an adult Scorpion Lion Beast following behind.

This was very important. If there was an adult Scorpion Lion Beast following to protect it, Yan Qingshan would leave without saying a word.

An adult Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast was a top-notch rank 3 magical beast, not something he could provoke. Once he was targeted, even with his flying Dou Technique, he wouldn't have full confidence in his safety.

"It seems the situation is good."

Yan Qingshan secretly left, spread his Purple Cloud Eagle wings, bypassed the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast, and scouted around. He didn't find the second Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast, which made him feel relieved.

The cub seemed to have sneaked out alone, without an adult Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast following.

Yan Qingshan returned to the treetop of a big tree behind the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast, moving carefully and lightly. Neither the pursuer nor the pursued noticed his return.

"Roar..."

The Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast roared and continued its bloody slaughter of the remaining herbalists. It had been chasing these thieves for a day and a night, and its heart was filled with anger.

These herbalists had boldly entered the inner circle of the Magical Beast Mountain Range the day before and found the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast's Lightning Tempering Fruit tree.

It happened to be away hunting for food, so they took all the fruits, leaving only traces and scent.

The Lightning Tempering Fruit was not considered valuable among low-level medicinal herbs, with a single use, but because it was unique to the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast race, it was relatively rare and expensive.

Moreover, a fruit tree could bear hundreds of fruits, with a total value of tens of thousands of gold coins, which these herbalists couldn't resist.

With a tree's worth of food stolen and the fruit tree damaged, it was fatal to the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast's growth. The cub couldn't bear it and chased these guys overnight, ignoring its lair.

This morning, they were caught up by the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast in the outer circle of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. After a massacre, only a few remained.

They had tried to escape separately, but the Magical Beast Mountain Range was too dangerous.

Seeing this, they didn't dare to run around. They followed the mountain path made by mercenaries and ran for their lives. They bumped into Yan Qingshan, and someone had the evil idea to change direction, but they didn't expect to fail and slow down, allowing the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast to catch up and kill them again.

"Everyone, stop running, we're all going to die anyway, let's fight this beast..."

A herbalist, probably a former mercenary, had some courage and wanted to fight back, but he was pierced through the chest by the blood-stained silver-blue scorpion tail as soon as he turned around. His body was thrown out, hitting the ground and turning into a pool of blood.

Seeing this, the fleeing herbalists ran even faster. They had tried to gang up on it before, but they failed when they had the most people. Now, no one dared to stay behind.

They were now competing to see who was faster. The Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast took time to kill each person, and they had managed to distance themselves from it while it was killing. However, the Scorpion Lion was very good at tracking scents and couldn't be completely shaken off.

As long as they weren't the last ones, they had reached the outer circle of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, and the nearest magical beast town wasn't far away.

The danger had greatly reduced. As long as they survived this, they could scatter and run for their lives.

They had good plans, but this time, the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast didn't seem interested in chasing them anymore. It killed much faster and more efficiently.

In no time, the team of nearly twenty was reduced to three. The fastest one was only a few steps away from the slope where Yan Qingshan had hidden.

"Ouch!"

"Who did that..."

"Which bastard!"

Just when the three thought they could escape, they tripped at the same time, falling face-first. This delay cost them precious time, and the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast was coming with a bloody wind.

"Li Lie, you bastard, you're so vicious!"

"Wang Chong, why are you slandering me? I think you and Yu Ping ambushed me!"

"Which bastard did it, we're all doomed now!"

The three got up and blamed each other, but they also drew their knives and guarded against each other while facing the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast.

They knew that if they turned and ran, they would all die. Only by sacrificing someone to attract the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast's attention could they survive.

The situation was that whoever turned first would attract the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast's attack. No one wanted to turn first, but they didn't dare to gang up on it. They had failed with more people before, and three people were useless.

The reason they drew their knives and pretended to join forces was to give the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast the choice.

Once it attacked in a direction, the other two would turn and run. They all prayed that they wouldn't be attacked first, but no one dared to make a move.

"Auxiliary function activated, battle preparation..."

Suddenly, a sharp whistle came from the treetop above. Two whistles came from two directions, hitting the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast at the same time. Two porcelain bottles exploded, and a cloud of powder enveloped most of the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast's head.

This sudden scene stunned the three herbalists. Then, a projectile was shot from the treetop in one direction. A net opened up in mid-air and wrapped around the lion's head, which had just emerged from the powder.

A stream of light suddenly flashed above the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast.

A bright light flashed down, and with a loud bang, a figure crashed to the ground. At the same time, the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast's huge scorpion tail landed. The battle knife cut off the scorpion tail, leaving a deep gully on the ground.

The Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast was severely injured by the sudden attack. Its scorpion tail was cut off, and blue blood spurted from the wound. Losing its tail disrupted its balance and greatly affected its movement.

As its movement slowed down, Yan Qingshan didn't hesitate. The Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast tore through the net and turned around, and Yan Qingshan spread his wings and flew up.

He glided in an arc in mid-air, avoiding the attack, while slashing across the Blue-Maned Lion's head.

Yan Qingshan's blade failed to cut the lion's head in half. The blade was stuck in the mane, so he had to abandon it. He somersaulted and flew up.

Yan Qingshan spread his wings and flashed to a big tree in front. He took out his bow and arrow and quickly shot.

Three arrows pierced through the throat wound and the two lion eyes. The powerful magical beast fell to the ground, blood spurting from its mouth and nose, and slowly died.

"Battle plan successful, target will be completely dead in three minutes, warning, there are other dangers nearby..."

"Swish, swish... clang..."

The Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast died, but another battle broke out. Yan Qingshan's two arrows pierced through the two blocking herbalists.

The third one, who was more skilled, deflected the arrow and turned to run.

This group of herbalists had bad intentions from the start, wanting to shift the blame to Yan Qingshan.

They all deserved to die. Yan Qingshan had revealed too much, and it wouldn't be good if the news got out. He couldn't take the risk. They all had to die here.

"Phoenix Flight Step, Mad Lion's Roar!!!"

Yan Qingshan moved, jumped off the canopy, and chased after him. The Phoenix Flight Step, a Xuan Low-rank movement technique, could unleash the power of a Xuan High-Level technique when combined with flying Dou Technique.

In just a few steps, he had crossed tens of feet and appeared behind the man. His Dou Qi surged, forming a roaring lion head.

"No..."

The herbalist finally noticed the roar behind him and turned to see Yan Qingshan's fist enlarging behind him, letting out a final cry of despair.

In the roar of the Mad Lion, Yan Qingshan unleashed the full power of his fist. The huge energy lion head engulfed the man. The loud explosion almost blew away all the surrounding leaves.

Huge cracks spread out like spider webs, and a dark pit appeared on the spot. The last witness... was reduced to dust.

Yan Qingshan didn't let his guard down. He flew up and carefully checked the area, making sure there were no survivors. Then he slowly landed, looking at the corpses and bloodstains. He didn't linger and quickly left with the Blue-Maned Scorpion Lion Beast's body after collecting the spoils.

Not long after Yan Qingshan left, wolf howls echoed, and the strong scent of blood attracted countless magical beasts, the best cleaners in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Wolf howls and beast roars continued. Before nightfall, the messy forest was devoid of corpses, leaving only tattered rags, as if telling the story of what had happened there.

…

Although winter in Qingshan Town was quiet, it was the busiest time of the year for merchants, with the sound of bells from carts and horses everywhere.

Around the New Year, many merchants came to small towns like Qingshan Town, which were close to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, to collect goods from mercenary groups. Amidst the hustle and bustle, Thousand Medicine House, which was not quiet, welcomed a late-night visitor in the snowstorm.